Posted on April 10, 2021
(Blair and L.J. Nicholas) and winemaker Isabelle Meunier
Nicholas Family Vineyards, which recently acquired the iconic 36-acre Bella Vida Vineyard estate in the heart of the Dundee Hills sub-AVA, has announced the addition of Isabelle Meunier as winemaker. Meunier will direct and oversee all single-estate vineyard winemaking operations for Nicholas Family Vineyards, which was primarily planted in the late nineties in the storied Jory soils of the AVA, with elevations ranging from 600-800 feet, and farmed LIVE sustainable and Salmon Safe.
Meunier, a Quebec native, studied winemaking and viticulture in Burgundy at the University of Dijon and worked under Pascal Marchand at Domaine de la Vougeraie. Meunier also studied in New Zealand at Lincoln University and worked closely with Blair Walter at Felton Road. Upon joining Evening Land in 2007, Meunier quickly became one of Oregon’s most acclaimed winemakers, as her wines were selected for the Wine Spectator Top 100 wine of the year from 2009 through 2015, including producing the highest rated Oregon Pinot Noir and highest rated Oregon Chardonnay in history. In 2015, Wine Spectator recognized her 2012 ‘La Source’ Pinot Noir as the #3 wine in the world. Following Meunier’s winemaking at Evening Land, Meunier co-founded Lavinea Wines in the Willamette Valley, in which she has continued to receive critical acclaim and is consistently recognized in Wine Spectator by receiving ratings between 92 and 94 points from her single-vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines.